Friday, August 24, 2012

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Jeremy Maclin, the first two-time football All-American in University of Missouri history, will continue to impact the Mizzou Football program for a long time to come, as he has established a scholarship in his name to benefit future Tiger football student-athletes.

Maclin has created the Jeremy Maclin Football Scholarship, and it will go to a Missouri native, with preference given to a student-athlete who attended Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood, Mo. – Maclin’s alma mater. Other focal points for the endowment will be a student-athlete who has a grade point average of 3.5 or better, and who demonstrates an exemplary character, who is actively serving his hometown, and/or the community of Columbia, Mo. Preference will also be given to a student-athlete who has demonstrated financial hardship.

“I’m really excited and honored to be able to do something like this,” said Maclin, who is set to begin his fourth season in the National Football League with the Philadelphia Eagles. “Football has been such a blessing for me, and I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to give back and support the Mizzou program that means so much to me. My time at Mizzou was life-changing, and I want to help provide that same kind of experience for others for years to come, so that they can see just how special of a place it is,” Maclin said.

“What a statement about the kind of person Jeremy is,” said MU Head Coach Gary Pinkel. “We’re so proud of who he is and how he represents not only himself, but his family, his friends, his team, everything about him just exudes first class. We’re so appreciative of his generosity,” he said.

Maclin lettered at Mizzou in 2008 and 2009, and was a first-team All-American all-purpose selection both years. His 5,609 career all-purpose yards stands as the Mizzou record, and he also ranks fourth on the school career receiving charts, with 2,315 yards, to go with 182 receptions and 22 touchdowns.

For more information about the Jeremy Maclin Football Scholarship, contact the Tiger Scholarship Fund at 573-882-0704, or via e-mail at tsf@missouri.edu.

Published Aug. 9, 2012 Story by Marcus Wilkins. Photos by Nicholas Benner.

The 2012 football Tigers are revamped and reinvigorated heading into their inaugural season in the Southeastern Conference.

By any measure, the 2011 Mizzou football season was successful. It marked the emergence of a sophomore quarterback, the resurgence of a rushing offense that finished No. 9 nationally and the submergence of Independence Bowl opponent North Carolina.

For many Tiger fans, however, convergence with the Southeastern Conference defined the season. Every tailgate within miles of Memorial Stadium buzzed with conversations about the potential move and what it would mean for Mizzou. How would the Tigers fare in the nation’s top league? Which school would be our new conference rival? How would it affect recruiting for Gary Pinkel as he enters his 12th season at Missouri?

Already, the head coach has answered one of those burning questions. “As for recruiting, it has been nothing but tremendously positive,” says Pinkel, who signed one of the nation’s top prospects, wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham (Springfield, Mo.) Feb. 1, 2012. “We have found that kids like to play in the SEC. They want to play in the best league in the country.”